A New Dawn
by dqmwartist
Summary: This was supposed to be the sequel to Open Eyes, but things worked out a bit differently. When Kate receives a job offer, she and Rick fight about it. It also causes them to reflect on where they've been and where they want to go in their relationship.


A New Dawn

© 2013 by dqmwartist

She was barefoot again, just like she was the day all those years ago as her mother pushed her on the park swings. At six Kate had loved the feeling of soaring through the air like a bird in the sky. Those were the day when she felt the wind beneath her and the ones filled with smiles and laughter. Happy memories of time now washed away in pain and sorrow.

Kate looked down at her bare feet as the dream faded into reality. Boots covered her feet, kicking up dirt each time she pushed herself forward and back again. She wasn't the little girl anymore being taken to the park with a smiling parent on each side. Kate had grown up and become a cop, giving others the closure she never thought she'd have.

All those days spent looking through files, in therapy trying to break herself away from it all, and then Rick opening up the wound again. Kate had been so mad at him on one hand, and other deep down longed for the answers she wanted so badly to have. Only she hadn't counted on having to protect the one she wanted to eliminate from this earth.

Through it all Rick was right by her side, the annoying partner. The playboy who drove her insane, the man who never listened, the one she felt safe with, she loved with all her heart. Kate had been here with him after months of recuperating, and again all alone realizing it was Rick she wanted. There was no one else to fill her heart with love or to sit by her on a swing.

Kate looked over at the swing next to her, empty and swinging in the gentle breeze. She wished Rick could be there with her now. Things hadn't been smooth since she'd let him know she loved him. Yet her love for him was strong and she wanted more than anything to spend the rest of her life being the wife to the bestselling author, Richard Castle.

This past year felt like long honeymoon, until she had triggered a bomb and thought that her life was going to end. She tried so hard to be brave, to protect Rick, but in the end he wouldn't leave her side. Being able to fall into his arms after agonizing over the code to stop the timer had been pure bliss. Bliss she wanted to stay in and not move for hours.

Only when she'd gotten a job offer in Washington, D.C had things started to unravel a bit. She hadn't expected a distant Rick, and had tried to speak with him. Her dreams had been to become a lawyer, the next chief justice, not a cop, his were realized and now that they were together, couldn't he see that? Kate wanted more than anything for him to come with her, even if it was just for the summer.

Rick rolled over staring at the empty rumpled space on the bed. Reaching his hand over he could still feel the warmth left behind by Kate. Her offer of a job had been a shock to him, as was her eagerness to go there and accept. Life for him had always been in NYC with his mom and daughter, moving wasn't something he thought about.

He loved Kate and had imagined at times making a life for them right here in NY. Waiting for her hadn't been easy and he'd nearly given up on her; but something kept pulling him back again. Even as they grew closer, he took cautious steps. With two failed marriages, he didn't want to mess up anything with Kate. She was different from Meredith and Gina as was his love for her. Rick was also older now and not prone to his playboy antics; Kate had changed him. Kate made him want to be a better person even when he acted like a boy.

He also hadn't really shown himself to Meredith and Gina the way he wanted to with Kate. Rick was guarding his heart and he knew it. Being hurt twice left him burned, although he wouldn't trade being a single dad for anything. Alexis was the joy in his life and he did love his mother, even if she was a pain at times.

Rolling back over, Rick got out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to find some coffee. He hoped the caffeine would help wake him up after the argument last night and the restless sleep. She was offered a great job, wanted to take it, he didn't want to leave NY, was firmly rooted and she thought they should compromise. They had both exchanged words and spent the night in total silence.

Rick found himself sitting on a swing in the middle of a park, children running happily around him, mothers taking to one another and the sounds of vehicles passing by. The silence in the loft had been deafening enough that instead of finding Kate, he had escaped to the place he once was when he was so mad at her. All those months of not calling seemed trivial now with the job offer Kate had received.

Only now he was faced with those burning questions that needed answers. Was he ready to dive into another marriage? At times he was, but on others he enjoyed things the way they were. He was also afraid of losing Kate, something he didn't want to happen.

Kate had gotten up long ago as her stomach rumbled in hunger. Leaving Rick's without eating probably wasn't her best option, but she did need to get away. She wanted him to be happy for her, to be there with her on the steps she wanted to take in her career. No longer was there the need to find her mother's killer.

As she headed back to the swings again, she noticed a lone figure sitting there. Her heart skipped a few beats when she realized who it was. She hadn't expected him to show up, least not here. From a distance he looked lost and alone as happy sounds filled the air.

Rick turned to look just as Kate appeared next to him and sat down in the empty swing next to him. "Hi," she called out softly as she smiled a little. This wasn't going to be easy and they both knew it. She was a little disappointed that all she got out of him was a meek smile.

"I'm sorry, Kate," Rick finally murmured after what seemed like hours. His mother had unfortunately for him returned before he could slip out of the loft unnoticed. And in true Martha fashion she let him have it, none of which he liked to hear. Although after sitting here for a while, Rick realized she was right. So was Eric Vaughn, as much as he hated the guy. "Relationships haven't been easy for me; I usually end up being the ass rather than the saint. And when things are going well, I do my best not to disrupt them. Only last night I went backwards."

"Rick," Kate interrupted, turning to face him. "We've been together for a year now and things have been wonderful. But now I want to follow my dreams and have my partner in my life by my side. No one said this was going to be easy. I'm willing to move forward if you are?"

Rick realized quickly that this was a life changing moment. Either you stayed with what you knew or you jumped into the unknown, held on and hoped for the best. Thinking about it, he had taken risks with Kate, jumping into things when he wasn't supposed to, being the guy he was just to protect her. Heck he'd even broken rules and probably done things that would have landed him in jail.

Every step of the way, Kate was there with him. She was his steady rock, never wavering. If he let go now she would be gone forever, but if he took her hand then they could navigate these new waters together. Was that what he wanted, to be with her forever? It scared him, but even more if she wasn't there with him.

Rick took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before speaking. He looked Kate in the eye, scared beyond belief and spoke. "I don't want to lose you and that scares me. I don't know where to start but if you are willing to deal with my bumps, then yes."

Kate could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, not quite believing what Rick had just said to her. Was this the same man who drove her insane? That she had fought with last night? Whatever had changed in him she was thrilled. Maybe now she could have the life she'd always wanted, the one with the husband, the kids, and the career.

Kate got up, offered Rick her hand as they walked off into the bustling city. She felt a little more secure now, surer that the man she loved wouldn't leave her anymore. "I love you, Rick," she murmured softly as she lay her head on his shoulder. "I love you too," Rick answered back as he slipped something into her jacket pocket. This time he knew he had the right jacket pocket.


End file.
